Home Repair

concrete patio forms

This topic is available here on The Repair-Place forum
Has anyone ever used those flexible forms/molds that you can pour concrete into to make patio blocks or walkways? I saw them at our state fair last year, and thought they'd be a great way to DIY our patio or walkway at our new house (that's yet to be built Laughing) From what I understand, you just level out the soil, put down the mold, pur in the concrete, let it set and voila! All done.

So is it that easy? Plusses, minuses? Ok for newbies to use, or not as easy as it sounds? Just curious!

Karen Smile
If the forms are the same as the ones we use to make stained glass stepping stones then I suggest pouring the first layer to the 1/3rd point and adding chicken wire to fit, then pour the rest. The chicken wire gives it more strength. We also cover the bottom of the mold(which becomes the top) with vaseline to make it easier to remove. I don't know if you would do the vaseline on plain concrete, on the glass you would wipe off and then grout it.
That's how we did half of our yard, it's easy and fun to do. The chickenwire is an excellent idea!

Make sure you get 2 molds to work things faster, because you must let the cement settle in for a while before removing the mold to continue. You will use about 1 bag of quickcrete per each mold you pour.

We did not need to lubricate the mold with vaseline, but it's an excellent idea to help when you remove the mold. You must remove it carefully not to upset the drying cement.

Good luck, I had fun doing it!

Repair-Place.com

Questions to Webmaster